Todd Klein's Blog, page 347

And Then I Read: JOHN BYRNE'S NEXT MEN 1

Images © John Byrne.

The first issue of this relaunch of NEXT MEN, a series I enjoyed in its initial run from 1991 to 1995 (from Dark Horse), is essentially a synopsis of what's gone before, and it points out what a convoluted set of realities it was. The main characters began in one idyllic setting, then suddenly woke up in a new reality to find they'd been a science project, given a programmed dream life they thought true. Reality continued to shift and change through the series, in layers of revelation, until it became hard to know what to believe, for the characters and the reader. Byrne even hints at this on his cover, showing the characters as game pieces on a fractured checkerboard.

All well and good, but the lengthy recap doesn't leave a lot of room either for new story, or to get reacquainted with the characters. The ending is intriguing, but once more leaves me wondering if it's really the story, or another illusion of some kind. I'm interested enough to read on, though.

I've always liked Byrne's art, though in recent years it sometimes seemed oversimplified. In this book he's gone back to the style of the earlier series, a more detailed style I like better, and his skills seem just as sharp as they did then. Good going, John! That makes it all the easier to look forward to more.

Recommended.

And Then I Read: STARBORN 1

Images © Boom Entertainment.

This comic starts out as a rather typical space opera battle, and I was prepared to dismiss it as something I wouldn't want to read more of. Then, on page 4 we discover a young man at work in an office cubicle, typing up the space opera adventure, and the story gets more interesting immediately. The plot thickens nicely when Benjamin Warner, the author, finds out some of the same fantasy territory he's been writing about, and thought he created on his own, appeared many years earlier in the novels and short stories of another writer. A girl Ben went to school with (and who he had a crush on) shows up at his job, and not long after that the office workplace suddenly becomes a battlefield of sorts, as creatures Ben has been writing about appear for real to wreak havoc!

I'm not sure how much of this came from Stan Lee, but I certainly recognize the writing style of Chris Roberson all over the final story, and it's a good one so far.

The art by Khary Randolph is a bit too manga (or maybe just extremely stylized) for my taste; at times it works, but some of the exaggerated anatomy and expressions pulled me out of the story a few other times. Not bad, but not really a style I can entirely embrace. For the most part, the writing got me past that, and I'll be looking for more of this title to see how it develops.

Recommended.

World Series of Birding 2011

The big day is Saturday, May 14th, when over 50 teams of birders will compete in the World Series of Birding to see the most species in 24 hours in the state of New Jersey, all raising funds for conservation groups of their choice. Ellen and I will be on the "Cape May Century Run" team again this year, above is a pic from last year. You can read about our 2010 big day, and our 2009 big day on those links.

It's a great event, an exhausting day, but lots of fun, and as in the past two years I'll be offering incentives to any of you who would like to support us and our team with a pledge. Pledges are "per species seen by the team," and last year we saw 144, the year before 140. If the weather is ideal and the birds cooperate it's possible we might top 150, but that doesn't happen too often. You can pledge as little as 10 cents per species, up to $1 per species, or anything in between. The former would have resulted in a donation of $14.40 last year, the latter one of $144. As a point of reference, Ellen and I will each pledge $2 per species ourselves. All contributions go to the Cape May Bird Observatory for their continuing mission of Preservation, Education, Research and Information about birds and nature provided to the general public visiting the Cape May, NJ area, I volunteer at their Cape May Point center once a week, and have been supporting their efforts since the late 80s. Its' a great organization (part of the New Jersey Audubon Society) and a great and dedicated group of individuals.

So — incentives!

A pledge of 10-25 cents per species will get you a signed recent comic I've lettered (my choice) and a signed bookmark.

A pledge of 30-50 cents per species will get you a signed trade paperback of something I've lettered (my choice) plus bookmark.

A pledge of 55-75 cents will get you two signed comics AND a signed trade paperback plus bookmark.

A pledge of 80 cents to $1 or more per species will get you your choice of any of my signed prints personalized to you (or my as yet unreleased next one), plus bookmark, and my gratitude! Or if you'd rather, two trade paperbacks of my choice, signed.

If you'd like to pledge, CONTACT ME at that link. Thanks for considering our favorite charity event!

And Then I Read: WHO WILL COMFORT TOFFLE?

Images © Tove Jansson.

In addition to a series of novels about the Moomins, and a comic strip, Tove Jansson wrote several picture books about them for very young readers. I never found any of those when I was young, this is the second to be reprinted recently by Drawn & Quarterly under their Enfant imprint. The blurb on the inside back cover calls this one the most popular of her picture books, and I can see why, it's utterly charming. Despite the short length, just 30 pages in a format much like that of the Dr. Seuss books, the story of a lonely, shy creature trying desperately to make friends is one that will appeal to almost anyone, with rhymed language that appears simple but has the subtle impact of good verse.

The art by Jansson has plenty of color on most of the pages, in a style like that on the cover, but I like the few black and white pages even better, such as this one of Toffle leaving his home on a foggy day. Credit must be given to the English translation by Sophie Hannah, and the lettering (in the style of Jansson) by Peter Blegvad. Any young child will love this book, and any adult reading to that child will also enjoy it. You need know nothing of the Moomins, but it does serve as a nice introduction to a few of them, and certainly a great open window into the unique world of Tove Jansson. Highly recommended!

And Then I Read: NEONOMICON 3

Images © Alan Moore and Avatar Press.

First off, this series is definitely for adults, and ones whose tolerance for violence and extreme sexual situations is high, so be warned.

You can always count on Alan Moore to have interesting things to say in addition to telling a good story, and both are happening here. One story thread features some government agents who are trying to figure out what's going on with the recent plague of Lovecraft-related incidents of violence, rough sex and weirdness. They've lost two agents sent undercover to get answers, and the subject they have for questioning speaks only in an arcane gutteral language no one can understand. Alan has one of the agents commenting on what he sees as the strong undercurrent of repressed sexuality in Lovecraft's work, and I think makes points worth thinking about. Ones that Lovecraft himself might have fainted to hear, but worth thinking about.

The other thread follows the surviving member of the undercover agent team, a woman who is being kept as a sex slave by a Lovecraftian monster, a somewhat humanoid one who seems visually to combine elements of Giger's aliens and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." The woman is so traumatized when we first see her that she's out of her own head, having a vision of Lovecraftian proportions, and a very odd conversation with a very odd person in that vision. Despite the rough and brutal handling of the woman by the monster, Alan is able to shed some interesting light on this creature and their relationship, and we see it change through the pages of the story, until at the end they are almost communicating as equals. Quite a feat of writing! And the ending seems to lead toward more mysteries being unveiled.

The art by Jacen Burrows looks with inflinching eyes at every moment of the story, and pulls no punches, but at the same time, does not revel in the cruelty or sexuality of the events either. I think it's quite well done and skillful.

Recommended if you like your horror raw and unfiltered.

And Then I Read: RUSE 1

Images © Marvel Characters, Inc.

I wish I could like this as much as I hoped I would. I loved the original series from CrossGen, but this one doesn't have the spark for me, despite having the same writer, Mark Waid. The cover is by Butch Guice, the artist of the original series, with the interior art by Mirco Pierfederici. His work is not bad, but it's uneven, and again, misses the spark of the original series for me. Here's an example:

It's all very serious and earnest, an honest attempt, but the subtleties that made the first series so much fun to read and look at are not there. It feels rather bland overall. Compare the cover above to the first trade paperback cover from GrossGen:

Everything about it is so much better: the logo, the art style, the design, and especially the cocky, confident body language of the characters. The Marvel cover misses most of that. Sadly, the story does, too. What seemed fresh and fun is now predictable and unexciting. Maybe it's me, I wish everyone involved well, and I might try to read further, but I can't recommend it.

And Then I Read: THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1979-80

Images © Peanuts International LLC.

I've enjoyed every one of these PEANUTS reprint volumes, and number 15 is no exception. I've stopped looking for a falling off of quality in the work, I don't see any. Yes, it's not exactly the same strip it was in 1950, but it's just as good. If anything, it's more varied in themes and characters, and the art looks just fine. Perhaps the only way to detect the era is in occasional topical references, as when Peppermint Patty says she's "last in the computer ranking" at school, or when Snoopy plays tennis with his ears tied back in a bandanna, looking like John McEnroe. But those are in a small percentage of the whole, much of the time the strip continues with ageless themes well developed in the past, and still entertaining, from Lucy's crabbiness to Charlie Brown's baseball team to Snoopy and the Red Baron.

One of the new bits that I love has Snoopy trying to figure out what kind of bird Woodstock is. Considering he was born about 10 years ago in real time, and has grown not at all, I'm sure it's a question Schulz was asked a lot, and when Snoopy tries out different species on the little tweeter, it's quite funny, particularly if you're into birdwatching as I am.

There are lots of laughs in this book, and when you're not laughing, you'll probably at least be smiling a little once per page, if not more. I can't think of a better way to spend some reading time. Highly recommended!

And Then I Read: THE AMAZING MAURICE AND HIS EDUCATED RODENTS

© Terry Pratchett, illustration © Chris Gall.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that this is only the second book I've read by Terry Pratchett, the first being "Good Omens," which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman. I've always meant to give his Discworld books a try, and I finally got around to it. If this book is a typical example, I'm going to be looking for more!

The setting of this story is apparently somewhere on the imaginary flat world that resembles Earth in some ways, not others. Here it could well be a mediaeval northern Europe with Magic. Think "Pied Piper of Hamelin" for the basic setup, and you've got it. Maurice is an intelligent, talking cat, and something of a con artist. He and the band of talking rats he travels with (a large group of about 100) all gained intelligence from eating magical leftovers in a refuse dump outside a college of magicians, or so they believe. The rats each have odd and often funny names that they took from packaging labels in the refuse, like "FeedsFour" and "Hamnpork." Traveling with them is a boy, Keith, who is rather passive, but an excellent flute player.

Together the group travels from town to town performing a sort of scam involving an instant and impressive "rat plague," and an equally impressive "rat piping away" by Keith. They're about to meet their comeuppance in the town of Bad Blintz, though. There's already a massive scam underway there involving rats and rat removal, and the scammers do not take this encroachment on their territory lightly. Further, deep in the tunnels and abandoned basements of the town is an even more dangerous menace, a magical one that threatens to take over the very minds of Maurice and his rats. By chance they cross paths with Malicia, the daughter of the town's mayor, who lives in a fantasy world of her own, informed by the many fairytales she's read. Malicia seems another menace at first, but when the real trouble starts, she comes down on the side of Maurice and his comrades. Good thing, they need all the help they can get!

This is a fine book, very funny at times, but with terrific characters and convincingly dark and evil menaces that create real suspense and thrills, too. Some of the rats, like "Dangerous Beans," the mystic and prophet, "Peaches," the quiet but firm conscience of the group, "Darktan," the trap and poison specialist, and "Hamnpork," the grouchy old leader are so well developed that you begin to forget they're rats after a while, until the plot brings it all back into focus. It's also a cleverly developed plot with lots of twists and turns that are not predictable, a bit contrived at times, but generally entertaining. A good read in every way, and I can see why it won the Carnegie Medal, Britain's highest honor for children's books.

Heartily recommended!

Rereading: COLONEL SHEPERTON'S CLOCK

© Estate of Philip Turner, illustration by Philip Gough.

Beginning with this book in 1964, Philip Turner penned a series of charming and often exciting stories about the imaginary northern England coastal town of Darnley Mills and three children who live there. The story begins with David, who lives above the shop shown on the cover. His father is a cabinet maker, David's mother is deceased, and David has a physical problem — one of his legs is shorter than the other — which causes him much heartache, but he's a good kid liked by many, and his two special friends are Arthur, the athletic son of a sheep farmer, and Peter, the son of the rector of the large local church. Peter is something of a mad scientist type, and has his own loft to create things in. All three are not only schoolmates but sing in the church choir together, and that means the church itself plays a large role in their lives and in the story. No surprise that the author himself was a rector with two boys of his own.

The clock of the title is at the center of a mystery from World War One that the boys find themselves drawn into, involving Colonel Sheperton's mysterious murder. His clock was sent to David's grandfather, then the cabinet maker, for repairs, but the owner's murder meant it had never been called for, so it's still sitting in the shop. The boys begin to uncover more details about Colonel Sheperton and his sudden end when they explore the church and find an article about the murder from a paper of the time, a report on the inquest. Getting into places they shouldn't go is an obsession with the boys, and they find this paper inside the church organ, after a game of exploring and hiding from the church maintenance man.

As the story of the murder unfolds, a more personal one for young David does, too, as a new young doctor suggests a possible cure for his deformity that will mean a tricky operation and a long hospital stay. Everyone rallies around the boy, who faces this new challenge bravely. Throughout the book there are wonderful characters, and both the town itself and the ancient church are almost characters, too. By the end of the book we know them nearly as well as the boys do, thanks to Turner's fine writing. The solving of the murder mystery is only one of the appealing elements of this story, and near the end there's a great capper, when thieves enter the church and the boys take them on alone.

All the Darnley Mills books are great reading, if you can find them, and are highly recommended.

Locust Moon shop appearance report

Ellen and I both enjoyed our evening at Locust Moon Comics and Movies Friday. It was truly a party, with food and drink and pleasant conversation, and I sat down to sign, letter and meet people several times as well. Ellen took some photos for us, that's her in the background. Ace photographer Kyle Cassidy, who some of you may know from the book "Who Killed Amanda Palmer?" and many other fine works, showed up, and we met there for the first time. Turns out Kyle and I know a lot of the same people, and it was fun to meet him. He took the photo above, and did a portrait photo of me too, more on that below.

Shop owners and friends were terrific, extremely helpful and welcoming, led by Chris Stevens, to my right above, who made the entire experience a great one. Co-owners Josh O'Neill (to my left) and Justin Postelwaite (far right) were also helpful. Afraid I can't recall the name of the gentleman at far left, who is editing a comics anthology Locust Moon is preparing, but when Chris reads this he'll remind me.

I lettered some large balloons with markers for two young girls who are big SANDMAN fans. Here's Cassandra getting a balloon in the style of Dream…

…and Rose receiving hers in the style of Delirium. Dream's balloon took a while to fill in the blacks!

Here they are with their pieces, very happy, and it was fun to do it for them.

I signed plenty of SANDMAN books as well as other things I've worked on.

Here's Kyle Cassidy talking to me and Josh. Be sure to visit Kyle's website and blog, where you'll find the photos of me used here as well as lots of other photos of more colorful folks. There's a very nice one of Michael Zulli, for instance.

Here's the official Kyle Cassidy portrait shot taken outside the shop, and while my first reaction to seeing photos of myself is always, "Who's that old white-haired guy?" I like this a lot, and plan to use it on my website, with Kyle's permission.

If you were there and we spoke, good to meet and talk to you, thanks to those who bought my prints, and everyone for making the party swing!

And the shop very kindly put us up for the night at Cornerstone Bed and Breakfast, a very fine and historic home not far away, which I would heartily recommend if you're planning a visit to Philadelphia. We enjoyed talking to owners Dennis and Liz, and in the small-world department, they're good friends of Marvel editor Nick Lowe, who I've worked with for years, a surprising but fun topic.

Locust Moon is worth a visit if you're in the area, they're well stocked with good stuff. The fact that they've decorated the store with my prints is okay in my book, too! Thanks, guys.